Lehigh football team finishes fifth in the final Sports Network FCS poll

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Losing to the eventual national champion proved to boost Lehigh one spot in at least one national FCS poll.

The Mountain Hawks were No. 6 in the Sports Network/Fathead.com FCS Top 25 poll released during the playoffs, but moved up one spot to No. 5 in the final Sports Network poll which was released on Monday.

North Dakota State won the national crown on Saturday. The Bison beat Lehigh 24-0 in the FCS quarterfinals on Dec. 10.

Here's a look:

1. North Dakota State Bison (125) 14-1 3125 4
2. Sam Houston State Bearkats 14-1 2998 1
3. Montana Grizzlies 11-3 2801 5
4. Georgia Southern Eagles 11-3 2795 3
5. Lehigh Mountain Hawks 11-2 2466 6
6. Northern Iowa Panthers 10-3 2455 2
7. Montana State Bobcats 10-3 2387 7
8. Maine Black Bears 9-4 2105 13
9. Towson Tigers 9-3 2058 8
10. Old Dominion Monarchs 10-3 2009 10
11. New Hampshire Wildcats 8-4 1869 11
12. Appalachian State Mountaineers 8-4 1825 9
13. Wofford Terriers 8-4 1651 12
14. Central Arkansas Bears 9-4 1411 15
15. James Madison Dukes 8-5 1307 17
16. Harvard Crimson 9-1 996 16
17. Delaware Blue Hens 7-4 961 14
18. Stony Brook Seawolves 9-4 957 22
19. Norfolk State Spartans 9-3 829 19
20. Illinois State Redbirds 7-4 694 18
21. Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles 7-4 669 21
22. Jackson State Tigers 9-2 523 20
23. North Dakota Fighting Sioux 8-3 371 23
24. Eastern Kentucky Colonels 7-5 298 NR
25. Liberty Flames 7-4 215 24
Others receiving votes: Albany 214, Jacksonville State 151, San Diego 74, Furman 59, Grambling State 48, Bethune-Cookman 44, Alabama State 42, Drake 37, Duquesne 26, Southern Utah 21, Portland State 21, Cal Poly 20, Eastern Washington 19, William & Mary 13, Murray State 12, Tennessee State 8, South Dakota 8, Youngstown State 7, Georgetown 6, Alabama A&M 5, Brown 5, Chattanooga 4, South Carolina State 3, Stephen F. Austin 2, Indiana State 1

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/